


Some kind of liftoff

by the_nature_of_roses_and_rocks



Category: Ever After High
Genre: F/F, THE BEST, THE CUTEST
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-01-19
Packaged: 2019-10-12 14:03:47
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17468966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/the_nature_of_roses_and_rocks/pseuds/the_nature_of_roses_and_rocks
Summary: "You aren’t alone, love. I’d never leave you somewhere unsafe and you’re never, ever going to be alone. Not with Raven here. Ok?”





	Some kind of liftoff

The first time Apple sees Raven she doesn’t realize it. That doesn’t seem like a notable observation, but come ON, this is the girl that everyone’s been describing to Apple for her whole life! Their first meeting should’ve been grand and memorable, ingrained in the general public’s memory for years to come. (after all, it’s the start to their story! Apple has expectations and aspirations, she wouldn’t be her mother’s daughter otherwise.) She and Raven are going to change each other and spend their whole lives tangled in the same tale, but their first encounter isn’t very impressive. 

They’re 5, just starting nursery-rhyme school and Apple’s scared, she doesn’t want to be left alone. Her mom smiles and points to a little girl across the room. She has dark hair and a temporary tattoo of a dragon (which is very cool, Apple notes) and she’s looking through a pile of books that the teacher set out for them. Snow White, in her infinite wisdom, says “Baby, that’s Raven.” “Raven . . .” (Apple knows about her, of course. She might not be very old, but destiny is a big thing and she’s been told stories about her counterpart since before she can remember.) “She’s a big part of your story, right?” “Yeah!” “So you aren’t alone, love. I’d never leave you somewhere unsafe and you’re never, ever going to be alone. Not with Raven here. Ok?” Apple nods and only cries a little when her mom leaves. She thinks about going over and saying hi to Raven, but she isn’t very good at talking to people yet. Instead she meets a bubbly girl who introduces herself as “Briar!!!!!” She’s found a best friend and everything’s ok. It’s only that night, after her mom comes for pickup, she realizes that Raven had been looking at books because no one else would talk to her. 

It becomes a theme as both girls grow into themselves. Everyone flocks to Apple, (which might be her birthright) and Raven exists apart from them. She’s with Maddie so she totally has friends, and Apple admires the world she’s built for herself, the objectively cool (and unreasonably gorgeous) person she is. (on the good days that is. Sometimes Apple lies in bed, petrified from guilt because she should make more of an effort, she should make the world as good as possible and exclusion is never the way to do that. But middle school is just hard, right? For everyone? Raven is the only person Apple’s ever had trouble talking to and on the bad days that feels like an unforgivable moral failing) During one of these spirals, the aforementioned girl finds her, despondent, on a swing outside the school. “Apple?”

“Hey” 

“Everything ok? You seem . . . off.” 

Apple looks up at her with tragic (lovely) eyes. “It’s just. A lot? Y’know?” 

“What is?” 

“All THIS” Apple flings her arms towards their surroundings. “Am I not nice enough? Am I doing something wrong here??”

Raven frowns and sits on the swing next to Apple’s. “Are you taking care of yourself? It seems like you’re under a lot of pressure.”

“Mmm, it’s scary. Everything starts in a few months and I don’t know what’s gonna happen.”

“Everything?” 

“Yeah. High school. The future. Our ‘destinies’.” 

“Did I just see the perfect Apple White mock our ‘greatest purpose’??” Apple laughs at Raven’s air quotes. Raven smiles (Apple feels a million times better at the sound) “You can’t fix the world, ok? And we’ll still be us in a few months. One day at a time, it’s all you can do. And,” Raven leans a little closer, “we’re in this together, remember. A million points of connection. That’s all we’re made of.” 

“That’s nice.” 

Raven blushes, “It’s something my dad says.” 

“He sounds cool.” Apple knows the world tends to forget about Raven’s other, kinder parent, but Raven’s much too kind to have been raised solely by the evil queen.

“It’s gonna be ok.” 

“Yeah.” 

They talk for a little while longer, nothing seems so scary anymore. The summer passes in a haze of beaches and swimming and long books and learning to deal with anxiety. EAH begins. On the first day her mom calls to check in, “Never alone, remember baby!” Apple smiles and as she walks to class commands spin through her head. It’s going to be perfect. I’m going to be smart and kind and – Raven walks in, tentatively raising her hand in greeting – excitement threatens to overwhelm Apple because it’s 4 years with all her friends and they’re going to do so much together. Things that seen unfathomable now. They’ll grow and change and turn into who they’re supposed to be- Her magnificent train of thought is cut off when Maddie somersaults through the room and lands next to Raven, barely missing a collision with Goldie. Raven rolls her eyes and smirks at Apple who giggles. She’ll never want anything other than this.


End file.
